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TRUMP LIKELY TO SIGN RUSSIA SANCTIONS BILL

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The White House indicated Sunday President Donald Trump would sign a sweeping Russia sanctions measure, which the House could take up this week, that requires him to get Congress' permission before lifting or easing the economic penalties against Moscow.

Lawmakers are scheduled to consider the sanctions package as early as Tuesday, and the bill could be sent to Trump before Congress breaks for the August recess. The legislatio­n is aimed at punishing Moscow for meddling in the presidenti­al election and its military aggression in Ukraine and Syria.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the newly appointed White House press secretary, said the administra­tion is supportive of being tough on Russia and "particular­ly putting these sanctions in place."

"We support where the legislatio­n is now, and will continue to work with the House and Senate to put those tough sanctions in place on Russia until the situation in Ukraine is fully resolved," Sanders said on ABC's "This Week."

Congressio­nal Republican­s and Democrats announced Saturday that they'd settled lingering issues with the bill, which also includes stiff economic penalties against Iran and North Korea.

The sanctions targeting Russia, however, have drawn the most at- tention due to Trump's persistent push for warmer relations with President Vladimir Putin and ongoing investigat­ions into Russia's interferen­ce in the 2016 campaign.

"North Korea, Iran and Russia have in different ways all threatened their neighbors and actively sought to undermine American interests," according to a joint statement by California Republican­s Kevin McCarthy, the House majority leader, and Ed Royce of California, the Foreign Affairs Committee chairman.

The bill the House will vote, they said, "will now exclusivel­y focus on these nations and hold them accountabl­e for their dangerous actions."

The White House had objected to a key section of the bill that would mandate a congressio­nal review if Trump attempts to terminate the sanctions against Moscow. Top administra­tion officials said the provisions infringed on the president's executive authority and tied his hands as he explores avenues of cooperatio­n between the two former Cold War foes.

But Sanders said the White House was able to work with the House and Senate to "make those changes that were necessary." She didn't specify what those changes were, however. The congressio­nal review section wasn't altered sub- stantially and Democrats were satisfied with the results.

Lawmakers included the review because of wariness in both parties over Trump's affinity for Putin. Rep. Eliot Engel of New York, the top ranking Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Committee, said Trump has been unwilling to respond seriously to Russia's belligeren­ce, "leaving Congress with the urgent responsibi­lity to hold Vladimir Putin accountabl­e."

McCarthy had pushed to add the North Korea sanctions to the package. The House had overwhelmi­ngly passed legislatio­n in May to hit Pyongyang with additional economic penalties, but the Senate had yet to take up the bill.

The Senate last month passed sanctions legislatio­n that targeted only Russia and Iran. Congressio­nal aides said Senate Republican­s may resist adding the North Korea penalties.

 ??  ?? DEPUTY PRESS SECRETARY SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS
DEPUTY PRESS SECRETARY SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS

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